I have lately wondered how it is we stand our day to day lives, addicted to frivolous information, constantly peering through one screen or another. The foreground of our attention in need of stimulation it feels as though there is always an itch we are unable to reach and once that feeling is satisfied it creeps in again somewhere else. We are information junkies, always wondering whats behind the next refresh. Lust for attention finds even the most humble of us trying to think of ways to get more followers, more attention, more, more, more. Peace is harder and harder to feel comfortable being around and silence is going to end up an urban legend as our ears become numb to the joyous emptiness open spaces can give us.

I of course speak generally, not to you, not for you, but for the proverbial “we” in response to a feeling that I have been pushing against more and more as I feel the restlessness of not having time to get out and explore creep into my mind more and more as of late. I get anxious and a bit stir crazy if I don’t get a regular dose of fresh air, urban exploration, or time to get lost in something new.

So I take full advantage of any moments that leave me with the perception of time slowing down. I often catch myself using the ticking second hand on a watch as a reference point in gauging my level of internal calmness. The slower the ticking feels the more calm I feel. Sometimes a song can do the same thing, or a photograph, or a breeze blowing through a window. Any simple detail usually overlooked in the normal day to day rush of life. If I can loose myself in one single thought I know that there is still hope in my life for peace to exist, even among so much work, and color, and life.

I took this photo last August soon after I moved into this apartment, I remember it well, laying quiet while the sun slowly set until the entire room started to turn vibrant shades of purple. I grabbed my camera and quickly found myself lost in capturing details that I was somehow getting lost in. Ones that made the second hand slow, my mind find peace, and the future seem bright. This is common theme among these pages but one that is a big influence on the photos I share here so I like to try and verbalize it whenever I can find more words to do so.

My best advice during the days left in this Spring, always be on the lookout for details to get lost in. If you let too many slip by, you may forget what it’s like to get lost in your own imagination and that really is a horrible gift to waste.

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I realize April is nearly over which is a silly time to release a book of images from March but hey, I do my best. The newest edition of the printed version of Yesterday Was Only is now available. The previous version’s limited hardback run sold out but I have decided to keep the paperback on sale for three months after its release because many of you have been enjoying them and wanted to be sure anyone who may want to collect the series gets a fair enough chance to get the various editions. The book photographed above is the February Edition.

At any rate, March was a really great month for the project in my eyes and its now available over on Blurb in paperback and hardcover versions so head over and check it out.

The rhythms of spring have been trying to take hold of the landscape but it feels rushed this year, lopsided. This or I have not been looking closely enough. Why is it that spring and fall go by so quickly?

In light of the all too depressing news today in Boston I thought I would post a couple of hopeful photos here on 50ft. Speaking of which, I can’t understand the compulsion to destroy or kill. The amount of unsettled emotion that would have to build up inside someone to compel them to do such a thing would have to be as heavy as the moon strapped to their back. How will we ever evolve as a race on this earth if we can never seem to understand seemingly basic compassion to our fellow man. It seems so simple of the surface yet so immensely complex due to the fragile nature of our own intelligence. I don’t know, as much as I dwell on these things there is never a conclusion reached, only a melancholy that lingers in the back of my mind as I whiteness the selfish nature of others in this world that seem to be oblivious to the fact that vengeance is hollow and does not truly exist. But there will always be conflicting opinions, always compromises to negotiate, always emotions to untangle… It’s an endless meandering philosophical rabbit hole I am stepping into here so I will leave it at that. Just know that I feel for those close to the sadness, I’m sure for many of you out there is must feel infinite right about now.

Heres to sunnier days.

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This is an area I often pass through on a trail around my favorite lake nearby covered in thick vines. I have often tried to capture its essence in a photograph but never quite capture how I feel when I am standing there within it. A couple days ago I did find this sloping vine growing up and away into the trees as it climbed up existing bark and vines and decided to try to capture the feeling. Growing upward and into tomorrow. Seemed apt for spring and encouraging to boot. Enjoy!

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Spring has more or less settled in here and I for one, am thankful for the change of pace. I could use a few afternoons in the sun, fresh air, picnics, and time spent out on a kayak in the lake. While this photo was shot on a rainy day it still tells me that, despite a few cool rainy days this past week, the trees of the city are telling me not to worry, that warm days will soon become a regular occurrence. In related topics, I’m not sure I mentioned it before but a big part of starting up my daily photo site was because of YoungDoo, she started a photo blog at the beginning of the year but stopped doing it about a month in. When her interest slowed in the idea I decided it would be fun to give it a shot and ended up having a lot of fun with it. She soon thereafter started up her daily photo project again as well and titled it mirroring the name I came up with for mine and called hers ‘Today Is Only’. If you are interested in following along with her point of view in our life together head over and follow along here.

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There are a number of bikes that make appearances near my apartment, some are becoming rusted fossils obviously left to grow into the landscape, others come and go occasionally and reappear tied off to different posts. While leaving for work one morning I could not help but notice the glowing morning light around this lovely blue bike. The photo ended up proving to be fairly popular over on YWO so I decided to make a new wallpaper for the bike riders out there. I know I for one am excited to have the weather start to warm up and make casual rides easier.

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Continuing the trend of posting images from my daily photo project I have a few new wallpapers for you guys today. Ignoring the threat of rain I ended up tagging along with YoungDoo and a friend of hers who was visiting for the weekend on a walk around the neighborhood. There is this great foot bridge that leads over these train tracks that I have always enjoyed messing around on. While the image does appear to be centered I was slightly off center wight my framing through a fence I was shooting through. Just a heads up to the alignment sensitive members of the audience.

• Enjoy the images! It’s a labor of love, thanks for your support!• Share fiftyfootshadows.net with friends.• Send me a quick mail if you are interested in using an image for commercial or personal use other than wallpaper.

DON’T:

• Post desktops elsewhere online.• Share links directly to images.• Pass them around in mass.• Make prints.• Use images for web banners or graphics. (send a quick email to ask, I’m pretty easy going about this with permission.)• Use them in commercial work.

If you help me out with these I will be able to keep doing what I love to do. Thanks again, really, for your support and understanding. -J

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